Today, Feb. 23, 2012, MPAC met with senior Department
of Defense officials, including representatives of U.S. Central Command, to discuss the recent Quran burning
incident in Afghanistan. During the meeting, DOD officials delivered a formal
apology from Gen.
John Allen, Commander of International Security
Assistance Force (ISAF)
in Afghanistan.

Senior DOD officials stressed their commitment
to building and maintaining a strong relationship with the Muslim American
community, and they also committed to visiting the ADAMS Center in Sterling, VA, to deliver a message
from the Secretary of Defense and generals on the ground in Afghanistan to the
Muslim American community before Friday prayer.

Earlier this week, thousands of Afghans began
protesting outside an American Air Base in Afghanistan after reports emerged
that ISAF soldiers burned Qurans as part of a routine cleanup of materials
found. The unfortunate incident happened as a result of soldiers unknowingly
disposing of what they thought were just books and materials from prisoners.
This unrest has led to the deaths of 12 Afghans and two NATO troops.

“The Pentagon’s and the President’s
condemnation and formal apology for this unintentional incident have been
immediate and clear,” said Haris Tarin, MPAC’s Washington, DC, Office Director.“We call on the noble people of Afghanistan to
address their grievances in nonviolent ways and preserve the sanctity of human
life as revered in the Holy Quran.”

U.S. officials in Kabul immediately began
engaging with Afghan political, religious and civil society leaders to express
their sincerest apologies for the unintentional mishandling of the religious
text.

This incident is just another example of the
growing tensions in Afghanistan where a perceived pattern of abuses by American
soldiers has been met by an overreaction; however nothing excuses the killing
of innocent lives.